Above the snow-covered city.
A black figure shattered like an illusion, dissolving into bubbles before reappearing thirty metres away in mid-air.
Meanwhile, on the ground—across snow-laden skyscrapers, telephone poles, and roads—a pink figure seemed to weave between them.
High above, within the ice-formed mirrors, the two figures chased each other, pausing only to harass before resuming their pursuit.
From a bird's-eye view, their game of chase appeared confined to a one-kilometre radius centred on the original villa.
Moments later.
In the night sky.
Multicoloured bubbles formed mid-air as Aya Tokoyogi emerged from them, her expression slightly surprised as she observed the ice-encased building before her.
At that moment, upon the sixteen-storey ice sculpture, a gigantic Serafall was reflected in the frozen mirror, smiling warmly at Aya Tokoyogi.
Finally, Serafall, within the ice mirror, spoke cheerfully:
"Ara ara, not planning to keep running away?"
Hearing this, Aya Tokoyogi calmly held a black book, her demeanour composed as she replied:
"It seems my only opponent at present is indeed you alone."
She circled the safe house for a long while, yet failed to spot Luo Shu's figure.
This discovery left Aya Tokoyogi somewhat surprised.
She had assumed this peculiar demon before her was Luo Shu's accomplice, but the prolonged absence of Hidden Management Department personnel surrounding her suggested otherwise.
From the current situation, it seemed more like Serafall had launched this attack alone.
This puzzled Aya Tokoyogi.
"Abnormal magical power... this level of ice manipulation... and your identity as a pureblood demon..."
Aya Tokoyogi lowered her gaze slightly, calmly observing Serafall as she spoke:
"Which of the 72 Pureblood Houses from the other Hell do you belong to?"
"Eh?!" Serafall blinked in astonishment at Aya Tokoyogi: "A Truth Astronomy member actually knows about our affairs?"
"Don't tell me you've established covert connections with the Hell Sect?"
Aya Tokoyogi didn't answer the question, instead offering another explanation:
"Hao Asakura has targeted dangerous elements before, and Twin Wings has clashed with them before. It would be strange if I knew nothing about them."
"Dangerous elements?" Serafall stared at Aya Tokoyogi in shock: "Are you referring to me?"
The Witch of the Notaria from Truth Astronomy - that evil witch responsible for multiple major incidents across Europe - was calling her, a righteous Magical Girl, a dangerous element?
Serafall appeared genuinely startled:
"I believe you're hardly in any position to call me dangerous, are you?"
Aya Tokeyogi raised an eyebrow, giving Serafall a slightly bemused look:
"What a strange creature~"
How could someone who immediately deployed large-scale techniques to freeze an entire Tokyo ward claim they weren't dangerous?
Aya Tokoyogi couldn't comprehend this.
Not that she cared to understand.
Her earlier evasion had been partly due to concerns about being surrounded, and partly as reconnaissance against Serafall.
Even while fleeing, she'd maintained a deliberate pattern, attempting to lure out any hidden enemies.
But now, apart from one expressionless face and that wind-wielding boy who showed some capability, there were no other significant threats nearby.
This contrasted sharply with her sudden encounter with Luo Shu that afternoon.
Back then, Luo Shu—a Hero wielding Concept Entanglement—had blocked her path directly, while at least two other Demigods were rushing to the scene. Her Spiritual Power and alert techniques had been screaming warnings continuously.
That was precisely why she'd chosen immediate retreat rather than negotiation when facing Luo Shu.
After all, who knew whether she might fall into that man's trap and find herself surrounded by multiple Demigods?
This time, however, Aya Tokoyogi found the situation genuinely puzzling.
Particularly, Luo Shu's absence - and that of the Hidden Management Department's Demigods.
Her confusion lasted only until black characters began crawling up her arm.
Without concern for Serafall's presence, Aya Tokoyogi raised her arm to examine the emerging text.
It was information synchronised onto her skin via a technique from C.C., whom she'd earlier tasked with covert investigation.
After scanning the message, comprehension finally dawned on Aya Tokoyogi's face, followed by a derisive chuckle: "Rescuing injured companions... Heh, how interesting."
Dirty power struggles... Aya Tokoyogi didn't even need to think before guessing the probable answer.
And precisely because of this, she finally confirmed the current situation.
The only enemy was the demon manipulating the Freezing Concept before her, and temporarily just this one opponent.
"So, is this all you've got?" Aya Tokoyogi said coldly.
She no longer intended to continue playing this cat-and-mouse game with Serafall.
Though perhaps not as excellent in functionality as a demon noble, a demon comparable to a pseudo-Demigod creature was still worthy of becoming part of her collection.
"Ah! This is getting troublesome... Just concentrating the concept within this range... seems to only neutralise your Concept Entanglement methods. The abilities of a Demigod... appear impossible to suppress..."
Hidden beneath the ice and snow, Serafall was getting a headache.
She'd forcibly concentrated the Freezing Concept within a two-kilometre radius using massive amounts of magical power. By wrapping herself in these densely gathered concepts, she'd barely managed to replicate Concept Entanglement, thereby countering Aya Tokoyogi's own.
But this confrontation was actually quite disadvantageous for Serafall.
For Aya Tokoyogi, Concept Entanglement was merely a basic technique.
While Serafall was expending enormous magical power to forcibly freeze the city, spreading the Freezing Concept everywhere to create a domain-like space artificially, she used the same method to wrap herself in it.
Consequently, Serafall's consumption far exceeded her own expectations.
With her magic reserves, even she could only maintain this battle for three hours at most.
And based on their earlier chase, Serafall wasn't confident she could defeat Aya Tokoyogi within those three hours.
More crucially, Aya Tokoyogi still hadn't displayed the Greater Abilities of a Demigod.
Serafall was extremely wary of that power to sever everything that Twin Wings had previously demonstrated.
"And most importantly, there isn't even a single justice-loving comrade coming to help this super Magical Girl defeat the enemy!!"
Luo Shu's figure surfaced in her mind as Serafall's cheeks puffed up like balloons:
"Terrible!!"
"Absolutely terrible!!"
She'd been holding off Aya Tokoyogi for so long, and Luo Shu hadn't come to help?
Could this even be called an alliance?
She'd worked so hard to keep Aya Tokoyogi occupied, and they didn't even send reinforcements, just stood by watching?
How could he possibly engage in such behaviour that seemed to wait for mutual destruction?
Honestly, this conduct made Serafall somewhat angry.
Listening to Serafall's muttering, Aya Tokoyogi only said coldly:
"How tedious."
"If you just wanted to drag me into your nonsense, then this game ends here."
Rustle...
Black books flipped open before Aya Tokoyogi without a whisper of wind, producing crisp, page-turning sounds.
With each turn, an abnormal power gradually enveloped Aya Tokoyogi.
Seeing Aya Tokoyogi getting serious and already aware of her low chances of victory, Serafall blinked playfully and stuck out her tongue:
"...Looks like I won't be getting any Class information from you today~"
"Well then, bye-bye~~"
As the words fell, the sound of shattering glass suddenly exploded.
The entire sixteen-storey building peeled apart layer by layer, transforming into a sky full of ice powder.
Amidst the shattering ice, Serafall's playful voice rang out:
"Don't you dare chase me~ Otherwise this cute Magical Girl can't promise what terrifying things she might do!!"
Hearing this, Aya Tokoyogi raised an eyebrow. Though somewhat surprised by Serafall's escape, she wasn't the type to quietly endure being chased by a dog.
Without a sound.
A black portal materialised behind Aya Tokoyogi.
With a light tap on empty air, her figure vanished into the ancient black portal, pursuing Serafall through this spatial technique.
Meanwhile, though Serafall was hiding within ice-constructed mirrors during her escape, her hands never stopped moving, unleashing magic imbued with the Freezing Concept as if it cost nothing.
Whoosh—
Entire buildings and whole streets instantly transformed into a world of ice.
For Serafall, without enemies of equal level to delay her, she could even turn all of Tokyo into a frozen wasteland!
Thus...
Almost without pause.
What began as an icy world in Taito Ward, detouring around the barrier-protected Akihabara district, changed course to Bunkyo Ward. After freezing most of Bunkyo, she swept south into Chiyoda like an ice typhoon making landfall!!
Amidst citizens' screams and the howling cold wind, Serafall said mischievously:
"If naughty, bad guys won't come out to uphold justice, then this righteous Magical Girl will burn all the houses down to force those mean-spirited brats to come fight the fires!!"
"Go forth, my ice spirits!"
"Turn this city into our domain!"
Crack crack crack—!!
Under the stunned gazes of all informed observers, the ice-constructed world rapidly expanded across all of Tokyo's core districts!!
...
Within the Akihabara Grand Barrier.
Sitting in a burger shop disguised in a cap and brown leather jacket, C.C. suddenly looked up towards the distance with an extremely peculiar expression:
"Is that strange demon planning to freeze Tokyo's entire core?"
Just who were the real terrorists here - their Truth Astronomy or this unknown female demon?!!